Me at 23 Weeks

As requested by my sister, I am posting a pic of myself entering the 6th month of my pregnancy.



Compared to the earlier weeks of my pregnancy, I now look a lot like a 5-month going on 6 pregnant woman. I started showing early, and when I came back from my holiday, people commented that I am bigger than average and suggested I could be carrying twins. I suppose the reason was because I was chubby when I conceived and I didn’t shed those extra pounds until after I crossed my 1st trimester. Now people tell me I look just about right. A friend even said I suddenly look ‘compact’ and tiny. To be honest, I don’t really care about my size – whether I balloon into something more humongous than what I already am or shrink into a Hollywood size who’s expecting. All that matters to me is baby’s health and how he’s growing in my tummy. Speaking of baby, he’s more active these days and has started kicking above my navel, which means he is now moving more vigorously than ever. He has started responding to music, and to the food I eat. He likes bananas like Mommy!

There are changes in my body, too that I noticed recently. My armpits have darkened as expected, and a few stretch marks have made its way to my girls. So far, there’s no sight yet of the unsightly red marks across my tummy, which now itches more recurrently. Even so, I'm still religiously slathering my concerned body parts with Mustela 9 Months Maternity Stretch Marks Intensive Action to soften my skin and prevent further stretch marks. But I've already accepted the fact that it’s possible for me to have a few lines. I guess it’s truly a mother’s badge and no one can escape from it unless you are very, very lucky!

So, what do I crave for these days? That's pretty easy. I like fresh OJ & buttered croissant. I like my Strawberry Banana Smoothie too, but hubby’s trying to make me avoid it because of the sugar. I still get my daily (or at least every other day) fix of banana courtesy of the office (although some days I bring my own stash just in case there’s none in the pantry). I cannot start my day without having breakfast but not as heavy as I used to have. I pretty much indulge on rice during lunch only. For fluids, I like drinking loads of water aside from OJ, which is good. It helps keep my skin hydrated, although the downside is my constant need to pee during daytime.I’ve also noticed that I’m more energetic now than in my last 3 months. I can still do household chores that do not require a lot of bending or exertion of too much force. I like working in the kitchen, which we are now fixing after the bed & bathrooms. It’s a lot of work cleaning and disinfecting them (even after they’ve been cleaned by the hired maids). I can’t push myself that much to finish it all in one day but I'm meaning to finish everything this weekend. We need to stock up on food, as well because I'm itching to go back to cooking. I miss eating “lutong bahay”.

Now that my tummy is bigger and rounder, my maternity clothes bought from Manila could barely fit me anymore. I now need to get a couple more dresses to wear and a few tops to use till my 9th month. I am heavily relying on my maternity leggings from Nine Months, which I use underneath my now super short dresses. Good thing I bought two pairs. My flats are still my bestfriends these days though there are times I wear my other pairs with kitten heels that are about an inch high if I’m in the mood to dress up. I’ve stopped wearing make up since February because I've become very lazy to do so. Besides, i’m loving my skin right now – super clear and fresh looking (thanks to the miracle liquid - H20!). I hope it remains that way forever! :)

I’ve also caught the cold virus which made me drowsy the last couple of days. But I'm getting better now thanks to soups and fluids. I hope I don’t get sick ever again because getting some sleep has been a pain. I am excited to enter the 3rd and final trimester because i can’t wait to see our baby. For now, I’ll just be patient and wait for time to pass by, with prayers that all continues to go well.